The 29th Annual PCE

A joint program of Brigham and Women's Hospital, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School & Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

Summer 2015

What students are saying about the PCE:

“Single most useful program I have ever participated in. It exceeded my expectations in every way.”

“Excellent program, will certainly recommend it to future colleagues and students."

“The best learning experience of my life. I am so grateful for the teachers and my knowledge has improved so much through this course. Many thanks!”

July 1 – August 14, 2015

The Program in Clinical Effectiveness (PCE) is a 15 credit summer program which provides clinical investigators with fundamental training in Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.

Our Applicants:

The PCE is designed for physician-clinicians, fellows and faculty, who are seeking quantitative and analytic skills needed for clinical research or are interested in health care administration.

Local applicants must have a position in a clinical department in a Boston teaching hospital. Applicants from outside of Boston must be recommended by their affiliated medical school or teaching hospital. The PCE does not accept medical students. The PCE encourages applications from individuals from minority groups. Harvard University is an equal opportunity employer. Please review our Application Instructions.

Our Curriculum:

PCE students are enrolled in summer-long core courses in:

Clinical Epidemiology

Biostatistics.

Students also select two half-summer elective courses from offerings in:

Current Issues in Health Policy

Decision Analysis in Clinical Research

Ethical Basis of the Practice of Public Health

Improving Quality in Health Care

Introduction to Methods and Applications in Health Services Research,

Linear and Longitudinal Regression,

Measuring and Analyzing the Outcomes of Health Care

Medical Informatics

Methods for Decision Making in Medicine

Research on Social and Behavioral Health: A Practical Guide

After completion of the PCE, qualified degree students may enroll in the following advanced PCE courses:

Our Program:

The PCE is a fast-paced, rigorous program that requires students to be free of all clinical responsibilities during the 7-week period. This enables students to fully commit to the intense, yet very rewarding curriculum. For details please see Workload and Reviews. Our 2014 students reported:

30% spent, on average, 20 hours each week on homework

90% were satisfied or very satisfied with the summer curriculum and indicated that they would take the curriculum if they had to make the decision again

Our Students:

The PCE is completed by both non-degree and degree students. The PCE is a non-degree program, but many of our non-degree students apply for a Harvard Chan School master’s degree after completion of the PCE. Students who apply to and are admitted into a degree program within 5 years of completing non-degree credits may have a maximum of 20 non-degree credits counted toward the degree. Harvard Chan School offers two specifically relevant degree programs for PCE students. For details see Additional Coursework and Degree Options.